Decision support tools for hot and cold environments: state-of-the-art and future opportunities for predictive and diagnostic biomarkers

Abstract

Introduction: Strenuous physical activities under extreme environmental conditions might expose a soldier to exercise related injuries; among them exertional heat injuries (EHI). Such injuries might compromise the soldier's health but also his/her combat effectiveness. In order to understand the level of tolerance to heat and better understand the extent of EHI pathology, a reliable scale of correlative biomarkers is indispensable. Such biomarkers, beyond the traditional systemic physiological responses known to date, should be integrated for explaining the hazards of impaired systemic homeostasis.